Gran Caffe L'Aquila — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Not what it use to be!

My last visit to your restaurant in Philly was back in May when the kitchen wasn't up to par - short and college graduation. Last night was disappointing as well.

First let me say Paige was an excellent server and the runners did a nice job as well. The kitchen again in my opinion did not do a good job and I can only blame your sous chef. Melon and prosciutto were good altho the melon could have been riper. Eggplant caponata is always good as is the burrata. The meatballs were somewhat of a disappointment - three were tender and two were rock hard which makes no sense - presentation was also sloppy.

Larger plates were the fettuccine from the Roma menu and the chicken under brick (which I have been ordering since early 2015 (shortly after you opened).

The fettuccine appeared to have been sitting waiting to come out as, while it was tossed with the cream, an almost pale yellow "crust" had formed on the top of the noodles which does happen when cream begins to absorb into the ribbons of pasta - again presentation. The pasta was also overcooked - not al dente.

The chicken under a "brick" -- first plate came out with the breast overcooked and dry - this was sent back - skin was not crisp and I can only describe as rubbery and was sent back. Second plate breast was tender - the sauce was delicious but again the skin was rubbery and had no color other than the sauce. The quality of the chicken dish has diminished over time - it isn't as good as it used to be when the chicken was prepared properly and the skin was crispy, the chicken tender and with a nice sauce.

Drinks upstairs were good - the blood orange and your interpretation of a french 75 was also good except the last one had to be returned as the sparkling wine in the last had lost its sparkle and the bartender had to pop open another bottle.

I'm sorry to be writing this, however, I have been coming since early 2015 for business and pleasure and it has been my favorite place to dine in the city. I also believe that providing input to you will help to improve your brand. I have travelled all over the world for business and have eaten at many fine restaurants in Europe, Asia and Latin America during my working life, as well as being a self taught gourmet cook. so I know how good food is and should be prepared.

Your second in command in the kitchen should pay more attention to the preparation, training and how plates are coming out of...

I moved to Philadelphia from NC after having grown up in New England, and I was sorely missing authentic Italian food and restaurants. One visit to Gran Caffe and immediately I no longer felt homesick. They relocated to Philly from the motherland and brought a truly Italian experience with them. The original Gran Caffe in L’Aquila was unfortunately claimed by an earthquake 10+ years ago, but lucky for us the owner chose to rebuild here in Center City. This is not your average Italian-American joint, this is the real deal.

As the name implies, you will be served some of the best coffee and espresso you can get in the United States. I have taken visiting friends and family, some avid coffee-drinkers and others complete novices, and all of them have been floored by their cappuccinos. If only the mugs were larger so you can enjoy them for longer.

If coffee isn’t your thing, you will be relieved to find some of the best gelato in this country as well. Gran Caffe offers dozens of flavors and each one that I’ve tried was insanely good. There will even be some seasonal/local flavors on occasion (pair the Pennsylvania Lavender Honey with the Limone if you see them both, you will thank me later).

If you somehow do not like cappuccinos OR gelato, there is a lively bar that serves Italian beer, wine, and cocktails. I recommend their proprietary Gran Gianduitto coffee/hazelnut stout (pictured) produced by Levante Brewing. The bar is a popular meeting area for the Roma and AC Milan fan clubs which could make the place noisy during a game but is not a problem if you are a soccer fan or go there to watch. What would an Italian café be without soccer hype anyway?

Oh yeah, they also have a kitchen to prepare lunch/dinner if you didn’t just go for sweets and drinks. The cured meats and cheeses, antipastos, pastas, paninis, and entrees are all fantastic. You really cannot go wrong with anything you order from here.

Gran Caffe has always sold their coffee roasts, whole bean or ground, but they recently began selling more packaged good as a response to Covid precautions. There are grab-and-go style paninis, bags of cookies, biscuits, pastas, soft drinks, beer, and other sweets – similar to a small DiBruno Brothers market. These are great in a pinch but does not beat dining-in if you can.

TL;DR – It’s a flight to Italy without the price. Exceptional coffee, gelato, drinks, food, and soccer – come here for any or...

Wish I could give -5 stars!!! Please note this order was placed and confirmed on March 14th. If you think you can order the Gelato and have it shipped in a timely manner - think again. It is now day 11 and my order has yet to ship!!!!! I ordered the Colomba and Gelato for my mother's 85th birthday (even left a note in special shipping instructions about it being a gift). The Colomba shipped in a timely manner; however the gelato has yet to arrive and her birthday was on the 22nd - so much for the gift!. I was never informed there was any issue with the gelato shipping until I reached out a full 7 days after the order was placed. At a cost of $99.99 for shipping you would think it would arrive on time!!! I refuse to believe there is only one place in all of Philadelphia to get dry ice. See below the response to my email - it pretty much says it all. Empty, lame excuses - pathetic lack of professionalism and customer service.

Buongiorno!!

We thank you dearly for reaching out to us, & actually planned on reaching out to you today!!

We are 100% aware of your order for your Mom's 85th Birthday! While we do wish we were able to send the Colomba with the Gelato, we use dry ice which is a chemical - and has a whole lot of rules that accompany it! Essentially, we just are not allowed - not even a ME thing. UPS regulates the dry ice & the mailing of all hazardous materials.

Your Mom's gelato will unfortunately be leaving the building this coming Monday, March 25, 2024. Originally, it was supposed to leave our building on Monday, March 18, but unforeseen problems arose - as the dry ice store's machine was out of order!!!!! We've been sending gelato for 4 years now, & that was the FIRST time that happened! We were hoping they would have it repaired by yesterday so we could get that order out, but sadly they have their repair person coming in this afternoon and will be ready to go tomorrow. Sadly, we cannot send gelato on Friday's as we cannot risk the weekend UPS shipment rules and their unpredictability.

While we are super sorry that all of this happened with such a nice gift for your Mom, we did leave a little card in the box for her to let her know that a special frozen treat will be coming and we wished her a happy & healthy birthday with all of your love.

Thank you for reaching out, and one more time- we are very sorry for the unforeseen delay here!

All the...